The Last Battle of the Soul, Religious tract 1 · Part 4 · Section 2
2. HONOVR.
What is Honour, which men in the hight of Spirit desire with the strongest straine? *NoteWhat is it, but like a King in a play? when the play is done, the ornaments are takē from him: To day man is a King, and to morrow a Carrion.
*NoteThe greatest pompe of King Agrippa, & his of Queene Bernice, is ca…led in Scripture language, a meere phantasie, or euanishing shew: Hee came downe with his Queene, saith S. Luke foreign, that is, heAct. 25. 23 came downe with great phantasie.
As honours are changeable like a phantasie, so often change they men so that they become phantasticke: Honores mutant mores, Honours change manners, but oftest to the worse.
If men knewe the vanitie of this point, they would not so eagerlie hunt after that wherein there is no contentment.
*NoteAfter that Alexander had fished the whole world with his herrie water-net, what found he? but follie & euanishing shewes, wherof the most pleasant rellish was like the white of an Egge wherein is no sauour.
*NoteKings which are the most honourable men of this world, are gods in Psal. 82. 7name but not in Nature: I hauehave said, Yee are gods, but yee shall die like men-King Herods flatterers cryed that he was god, but Death belyed them, crying that hee was but a man, aAct. 12. 22 god that could not resist the wormes, often that which is highlie esteemed among Luk. 16. 15men, is an abomination in the sight of God.
*NoteGod liketh not euer best these to whom hee filleth a full cup of temporall felicitie: He whom God hath elected to bee a King in Heauen, is often hidde, like Soul among the stuffe, 1 Sam. 10. 22.or like Corne among Chaffe.
*NoteI hauehave obserued in reading the Booke of God, that few Kings either of Iuda or of Israel receiued any great praise from Gods penne, which can neither faine nor flatter: Trueth will yeelde no ground, thogh it should meete a Tyrant in the face.
*NoteO fainting flatterer! who darre not preach but to pleasethy Prince, Who art thou, that thou should feare Isa. 51. 12a mortall man, which shall bee made as grasse? By a wise, graue, godly reproofe thou might hauehave saued his Soule, in whose blood thou hast embrewed thy selfe either by fearefull silence, or flattering eloquence.
*NoteO how dangerous is the high estate of Princes, vntounto Princes themselues: They are followed with such applause, that often they are made to forget what they are: I hauehave called Plas. 82. 6you gods, is the flatterers Text, he cannot passe this point, his Glasse is run, and Time is spent before he can winne to the other part of the verse, But yee shall dye like men.
Let vsus heare what God himselfe speaketh of the Monarchs of his owne people.
Except a verie few, there is not one, but hee is either branded with1 Kin. 11 6 this, And hee did euill in the sight of the Lord, or with this, And hee followed 2 King. 13 2.the sins of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, which made Israel to sinne.
*NoteHonour will not abide with Kings, except that they abide with God: While Nebuchadnezar was boasting of his Buildinges, euen while the word was in the Kings mouth, Dan. 4. 31there fell a voyce from Heauen, saying, O King Nebuchadnezar; the kingdome is departed from thee. No King standeth so strong in his prosperitie, but God can shake him and lay him on his backe: *NoteKing Dauid of this got an afterwit. In my prosperitie, said he,Psal. 30 6. I said, I shall neuer bee moued. But so soone as God beganne to hide his face, and hee beganne also to bee troubled.vers. 7.
* That is notable which Isaiah Isa. 14. 13.saith concerning the King of Babylon, who in his fond conceit did reach the hight of heauē, as being at league with al contrary powers. Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend vers. 14.into Heauen, I will exalt my Throne aboue the Starres of God: I will ascend aboue the hight of the Cloudes, I will be like the most High.
What saith God to that? It shall not bee so, O Lucifer. Sonne of the Morning, I shall take thee at the trip, though thou should soare aboue the Skyes of heauen, yet thou shalt vers. 15.bee brought downe to hell, to the sides of the pit: They that see thee shall narrow lie looke vponupon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, & that did shake king: doms? *NoteThis is the end of all flesh, irreuocablie concluded by the KING of Kings decree. Dust thou art, and Gen. 3. 19.vntounto dust shalt thou returne: *NoteThe way of greatest Monarches, is from the Palace to the Pit: Were a manPsal. 30. 9 neuer so high in Honour, hee must say at last with King Dauid, I goe the 1 King. 2. 2.way of all the Earth.
*NoteIf Princes in their pompe could practise Memento mori, Selfe-conceit should not bee able to poppe in it selfe with pufts of pride, which make many to quarrel with the reprouers: Hee is like a Phenix, who beeing in Honour, can digest a reproofe, and finde it good with Hezekiah, who while hee was sore threatned, said, Good is the word of the Lord: O how2 Kin. 10. 19 easilie doe faile flattering vvordes cogge in themselues, by slie and craftie juggling into the hearts of these that are in high places: Tell them yt all goeth well, and that this vvorld shall last, and that in their prosperitie they shall neuer be moued, such Preachers will please: But if a Ieremiah come in with his woes, some Pashur shall not misse him vponupon theIer. 20. 2. cheeke: Ahab could not abide to heare good Micaiah: Wherefore?1 Kin. 22. 8. I hate him, said hee, for hee doeth not prophecie good concerning mee: In this vvas all the distemper: But vviselie and godlie vvas it replyed by good Iohoshaphat, Let not the King say so.
Well is that King who in his honour reputeth this his greatest Honour, to honour him, from vvhose Grace he hath his Crowne: his praises shall not bee silent, vvhile hee shall lye in the place of silence, sleeping into slyme.
The Lord make the praise of our Gracious SOVERAIGNE to sound like that of Iosiah: And hee did that▪ which is right in the sight of the Lord, 2 King. 22 2.and walked in all his wayes and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left▪ AMEN AMEN.
What shall I say more of the vanitie of Honour and Preferment among men? I am assured of this, that it is no sure token of Gods louelove, for euen they that worke wickednesse Mal. 3. 25.are set vp: Of these oftest is said, O they are made, euen while they are madde.
*NoteThe most naughtie and most vnworthie, whose valorous acts and vertuous deads no man can record: hauehave often found a roome where they may drinke in a full cuppe of temporall happinesse, many will wonder to see them steppe with a graue and stayed ciuilitie: HaueHave not many seene such in Kings Courtes with great applouse runne vp without any rubbe, as it were to the toppe of Tabor; where to many who knew them before in a base estate, they will seeme to bee transfigured.Luk. 9. 19
*NoteThe Lyers and the Flatterers will gather about the Gallant, and were it not the feare more of Lyce than of God, while hee speaketh, they would cry, The voyce of God Act. 12. 22and not of man: While hee is thus wise in his greatest pride, princelie mounted, gallopping vponupon the highest hills, imperiouslie dominearing, & reuelling in the world; down commeth a thunder-bolt with fierie flashes, of a diuine wrath; ouer-turning and downe throwing horse & man from the steepest of all his Preferments. Thus to all, at last he becommeth a spectacle of amazement.
*NoteTake vp now our Minion with all his honours, which once hee did so eagerlie, hunt after. The fairest blossomes of his glorie, are blasted as with mildew.
Beholde nowe, all his honours rolled in the dust, the higher he was mounted, the greater is his fall: who but Haman to day, thryuing in this world, and raising vp himselfe a Paramour of a Prince? By his outward gliste…ing hee maketh mens eyes to dazle: Now he hath ye wind at will, and saileth as he pleaseth with flaunting sailes amid his greatest jollitie: But tarrie a little, looke vp to the weather-cocke: The winde is turned,Le Marquis d' Ancre en soit tesmoin. the head is where the taile was: Haman is disgraced, his louers are Apostats, no man darre auouch him, his honours is taken from him: This is his Princes will, Caput obnubito arbori Est. 7. 8.infoelici suspendito: Couer his face… *NoteAnd seeing hee was the chiefe of a knot of knaues, let him hauehave ye highes… Est. 7. 9.pin of fiftie cubits high: By thus hee becommeth a man of high degree.
*NoteThus hee to whom once many were glad to hold the basō as to a darling of account, proueth at last to bee one of this worlds fooles, which care not what bee their end so that their way bee pleasant.
*NoteAt last, after all such pleasures, profites, and prefermentes, the vngodly man with great shame, with a…rou. 10. 7 rotten name, is grieued and gaul…d with sorrow: Though hee both chaffe and fiet, yet of necessitie must hee packe him to the abhorred Regions of Death.
This is no new thing vnderunder Heauen; and yet alas, how few are these that in their carriage can considder that hee that thinketh hee standeth, 1 Cor. 10. …2.should take good heede, lest hee fall.
*NoteProsperitie striketh most men blind on this eye, vntill the current thereof bee cutte▪ or crossed with some disaster. *NoteWhile men are exalted, hardlie can they dreame of a change: Sathan is euer most busie to stickle and stricke the bargaine betweene them & Death, and Hell, and all sorte of disgrace.
Let vsus also say some thing of the Leuites which are the King of Heauens fauorites, and if it may be said, his best beloued Minions: Their Honour is great; if with the shining Vrin of sound and solide Doctrine, they joyne the Tummim of a good life, the Lord alloweth on them1 Tim. 5. 17 double Honour: But if either by a foule decay of Grace, they bee Loiterers and will not Labour or labour in Doctrine, but not in life, their double Honour shall bee turned in double disgrace.
*NoteOf all Leuites the Lowne Leuite is the greatest.
There is nothing but it may bee good for some-thing, but vnsauorie Salt is good for nothing: While otherLuk. 14. 34 most haynous sinners shall swimme like Corke on the brimme and vpper swarde of Hell, these that hauehave poysoned these whom they should hauehave seasoned both with life and doctrine,Exod. 15. 10 shall lik Egyptian Lead sink downe to the lowest of the Gulfe.
Thus as ye see Honour in whomsoeuer, if it bee without true Godlinesse; is l…k a faire woman, wanting Discretion, whom wise Solomō comparethProu. 11. 22 to a jewel of go…d in a Swynes snowte▪ This all flesh will either subscriue or put their hand to the Pen in token of consent, except these that look vponupon such outward things with the vnhallowed eye of prophannesse.
But to leaue all particulars: What is all the glorie of Nations? If all their glorie and excellencie whatsoeuer, were put in one Scale of the Ballence and Vanitie in the other, Vanitie should weigh them downe: *NoteDauid in his time put them in the weights together, after hee had well considered the matter, hee gaue out sentence, saying, Surelie men of low degree are vanitie & mē of high degree Psal. 62. 9.are a lye, if they bee laid in the Ballance they are altogether lighter than Vanitie. See howe Vanitie is too heauie a weight for men of low and high degree: If ye would mak euen weight, out of vanitie must bee sought that which Habakkuke calleth, verie vanitie, Hab. 2. 13.euen Solomons vanitie of vanities: Eccles. 1. 2.Put in that lightest vanitie into the one Scale, and men of all degrees in the other, then shall the tongue of the Ballance stand euen.
What then shall wee say of the glorie of all Nations? *NoteIt is well compared by the Prophet vntounto the droppe of a Bucket, and to the small dust Isa. 40. 15of the Ballance: To tell vsus that no worldlie thing can be balast in Gods Ballance, no more than the lightest dust can bee of weight into a Scale of mans Ballance, which is most easilie blowne away with the least blast of breath.
Great is the vanitie of the greatest: *NoteFrom the Throne the King himselfe must come downe by death for to goe sleepe in slyme. To Gods God hath said, Yee shall die like men.
Thus as yee see all earthlie Honour, for which is so much strife & debate, all worldly pompe and glory which mē so hungerlie hunt after, is but like dust driuen away with a pu…t of breath.
*NoteLet men in Honour bee in his best estate: Man in his best estate is altogether vanitie: The whole course of mans life is but a Myne of miserie, and a verie fardle of vanities: That thereof which is most stable, is but a flash and away. *NoteLet Gods vine trees keepe their wine, and his figges their sweetenesse, and his Oliues theirIudg. 9. 15 fatnesse, but let the Brambles catch crownes: This was the euent and issue of the Parliament of Trees at the crowning of their King.
Well is the man that may line and lurke: Who knoweth the weight of Crownes, the lodging of greatest Honours would neuer daine to desire them.